Victoria Falls is extremely sacred to local tribes

The Victoria Falls is not only one of the most stunning natural landmarks on the planet, it also holds a great deal of historical importance to local tribes in Zambia.

It wasn't until 1934 that the Victoria Falls Reserve Preservation Ordinance was set up with the intention of protecting this stunning area and it did not become a Unesco World Heritage site until 1989.

However, African people have held the waterfall in very high esteem for much longer than this - as they believe it is the spiritual home of their forefathers - and people taking luxury holidays in Zambia may come across the Toka-Leya tribe when they visit the Falls.

This particular community hail from the Livingstone region of the country and for generations they have trekked from the south of Zambia to the Zimbabwean border in order to complete the Lwiindi Ceremony.

The ritual sees the chief of the tribe lead his people through the spray of the Victoria Falls (or the Mosi oa Tunya as the African people still refer to it), who perform traditional dances in order to thank their ancestors for the rain.